The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion. – Albert Camus
I did something this evening that I almost never do. I watched about an hour and a half of videos of what’s going on in America, mostly involving police and civilians.
By watching these videos, I had a lot of thoughts racing through my mind. From anger at police to anger at people not listening to police. But my biggest anger came from reading unapologetic comments. Stuff like “Well, they were doing something illegal” or “that’s what happens when you don’t follow an order.”
Yes, I agree that some people antagonize police to catch the reaction on video but that doesn’t mean what people are doing is illegal. One video was a girl who got a $25 ticket for talking to her neighbor in “No parking zone.” She had her car running and it was obviously a rural area. There didn’t seem to be any harm of her stopping to chat.
The cop got out, asked for license and registration and proceeded with fining her. Although that may be the law, whatever happened to giving a warning or treating people like human beings? Wouldn’t it have been easier for the cop to tell the lady she wasn’t allowed to park there and that be the end of it?
Whether you’re pro cop or have a problem with cops, I think we all need to realize our freedoms come from believing what it truly means to be human.
Compassion. Loyalty. Respect. Decency. Love.
Those are all human traits. It’s pretty sad that those traits are the bar for being “free” in today’s society. By acting with those beliefs you are already doing better than what seems like a majority of America. Living free, and having freedoms, is about caring for those around you no matter the circumstance. Your very awareness of the traits that make you a compassionate human being is the precursor to living freely in an unfree world.